Virgin Media O2 Business has been appointed by Swansea Bay City to build a dedicated dark fibre network for 36 public sector sites.
The network will connect sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. It will improve connectivity in the region for local authorities, healthcare and education partners.
The new connectivity infrastructure will be used by the Welsh Ambulance Service University Trust, Swansea Bay University Health Board, Hywel Dda Health Board, Swansea University, the University of Wales, Trinity St David, and the three local authorities – Neath Port Talbot, Swansea and Carmarthenshire.
It will provide flexibility and scalability, as well as driving innovation to meet evolving public sector needs as well as the citizens and communities they support.
Carl Mustad, assistant director of digital technology, Swansea Bay University Health Board, said, “This is an integral step forward for the health boards, local authorities and universities in this area and will help us collaborate and expand our future research and development relationships.”
“Modern networks are essential to provide the backbone for cutting edge telemedicine services, artificial intelligence and improved data management which in turn supports improvements in diagnostics, and patient experience.”
Catherine Amran, customer director at Virgin Media O2 Business, added, “We’re looking forward to working with Swansea Bay City Deal to help connect the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot regions.
“This new network will provide the region with a range of benefits like increased capacity and speed. Collaborations like this are important for public services, enabling growth and ensuring organisations have access to reliable connectivity.”
The network is set to be fulfilled by December 2025 and is now in planning stages. Dark fibre networks can offer improved capacity and speeds, allowing heavy data to be stored and shared securely between public sector sites.